Career Week
by Pannikittypiggyphant
Summary: It's Career Week at Hogwarts! Read about Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco's work-related mishaps and problems that include: bratty first years, disgusting concoctions, cranky patients, and scooping dung. R&R!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I'm just gonna write this once in the whole story. Harry Potter and all the characters portrayed in the book belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.

Prologue

            It was Saturday, and breakfast time in the Great Hall. Most of the students there were eating leisurely and planning what they were going to do that day. However, there was an air of anticipation among the seventh years. Today they would receive the results of the aptitude tests they had taken the week before.

            "I'm so excited!" Hermione Granger squealed to her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

            "It's not that big of a deal, Hermione." Harry told her, spooning some porridge into his mouth.

            "But the results will determine the job most suited for us! It will really help in planning our future careers." Hermione said.

            "I'm just glad that we don't have to study next week." Ron said happily, while putting liberal amounts of jam on his toast.

            "Yeah," Harry said after he swallowed his porridge. "A whole week without Snape."

            "I wonder what career I'll get." Hermione said. "I really hope it's something good, after all we have to do it for Career Week next week."

            "I still think it's unfair that we don't get to choose what job we want to do next week." Ron grumbled. "If I had my choice I'd go for Quidditch player."

            "You and every other Quidditch obsessed seventh year." Hermione said impatiently. "That's exactly the reason why we don't get to choose."

            "I hope I get 'Auror' in my results." Harry said. "What about you, Hermione?"

            "I don't know, I can't possibly decide what career is right for me. Whatever job I'm getting is fine with me." Hermione said decisively.

            "Not if you end up getting 'Cleaning Lady' as the career most suited for you." Ron commented.

             Hermione stiffened in her seat. "I'll have you know, Ron, that sanitation management is one of the most important things in all institutions." She said.

            "Call it whatever you like, 'Mione. It still includes cleaning toilets." Ron said, snorting as a mental image of Hermione scrubbing a toilet entered his mind.

            Hermione glared at him but couldn't think of anything to say. The trio spent the rest of their breakfast in silence, as Hermione was refusing to talk to Ron.

            Harry welcomed the stop in conversation and spent some time imagining himself as an Auror in Career Week. He would impress all the real Aurors with his skills and they would assure Harry that his future as an Auror was set.

            Harry was still daydreaming as the seventh years headed back to their common rooms to receive their test results from their Head of House.

            "All right, everyone. I have here," Professor McGonagall said loudly, waving a stack of envelopes in her hand, "the results of your wizard aptitude tests. Remember that whatever results you receive, whether you like it or not, will determine what job you will be doing on Career Week."

            She started passing out the envelopes to the Gryffindor seventh years.

            "Also remember," she said, "that you will be under the tutelage of professionals who will be grading you on your performance. It is a big part of your grade so I expect that all of you will work very hard next week."

            Harry got his envelope and opened it quickly. Beside him, Ron and Hermione did the same.

            "I'm a healer!" Hermione shrieked happily.

            "A candy maker?!" Ron said incredulously as he stared at his letter.

            "A Defense against the Dark Arts teacher?!" Harry cried disbelievingly. He wondered if he got the wrong results. He was supposed to be an Auror! Someone who actually uses defensive spells, not one who teaches them!

            "Oooh, my mentor is Healer Augustus Pye." Hermione said, scanning her letter.

            "Isn't that the crazy bloke who gave my dad stitches?" Ron said.

            "Yes. But just because he's interested in Muggle medicine doesn't mean he's crazy!" Hermione said indignantly.

            Ron didn't answer her but looked at his letter.

            "Hey! I get to work at Honeydukes!" Ron said excitedly, his eyes shining. "Do you reckon I'll get free tons of free samples?" he asked Harry.

            "I'm staying here at Hogwarts!" Harry said as he read his letter, his eyes widening. "I'm under Professor Stalk."

            Harry was starting to feel sick. Professor Stalk was their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was a short man who had bad breath and body odor. Harry shuddered. How was he supposed to work in close proximity with the man?

            Both Ron and Hermione were wearing disgusted looks.

            "Professor Stalk?! Bad luck, mate." Ron said to Harry, patting his shoulder.

            "Oh, Harry, that's terrible! I still can't believe the school would hire such a nauseating teacher." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose.

            "Do you think he'll notice if I use the Bubble Head Charm every time he's around?" Harry said sullenly.

            "I bet it won't be that bad." Hermione said sympathetically.

            "Well, I'll find out soon enough, won't I?" Harry said, dreading the coming week.

            Down in the Slytherin common room, the aptitude tests results were also being passed.

            Draco Malfoy opened his envelope lazily.

            "I suppose I'll get Minister of Magic…" he drawled.

            Crabbe and Goyle had already opened theirs and they were both security wizards. I job that Draco felt was made for them. Just like being the Minister of Magic was so obviously his calling.

            His eyes fell on the letter and widened.

            "I'm a dragon handler?!" he spat. He continued to read the letter and was even more horrified.

            "I'm supposed to be under a Weasley?!" he cried. "No way am I taking orders from a Weasley." He said and stomped toward Professor Snape.

            "Professor, I cannot work for Charlie Weasley." He told his Head of House resentfully.

            "I wasn't expecting you, Mr. Malfoy, of all people, to whine about their career assignment. I would expect that from Gryffindors, not Slytherins." Snape said unpleasantly.

            Draco's insides bristled with anger but he didn't show it. For the first time ever, he had a strong urge to hex Snape. But he just walked away, cursing under his breath.

A/N: I don't know how often I'll be able to update, what with school and everything. The next chapters will document Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco's experiences in Career Week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	2. Harry: Day 1

Harry: Day 1

            Monday morning dawned bright and sunny; though if it were up to Harry, he would have preferred the weather to be gloomy and cloudy to match his mood. He trudged up to Professor Stalk's office and knocked.

            "Come in." said a voice.

            Harry pushed open the door and immediately wrinkled his nose. The air in the room smelled like the professor.

            "Ah, Harry! My new protégé!" said Professor Stalk. He held out his hand to shake Harry's.

            Harry reluctantly held out his hand and gave the professor a swift shake. Professor Stalk gave him a smile and turned around to get some papers on his desk. Harry immediately wiped his hand on his robes vigorously.

            "Here you go, Harry." Professor Stalk said, handing Harry his lesson plan. "You're only going to teach first and second years this week. Would you like to stay here in my office while I'm teaching the other years or would you like to return to your dormitory?" he asked.

            "I'd prefer returning to my dormitory, sir." Harry said, trying not to gag from the foul smell emanating from the professor.

            "Very well." Professor stalk said. "I have a fifth year class in fifteen minutes and I still have to get ready. Study the lesson plan and be prepared to teach by ten o' clock! I'll be in the classroom."

            Harry nodded, clutching the papers. He then turned on his heel and walked out of the office.

            "Haaaah!" Harry gasped the moment he was outside in the corridors. He took in a deep gulp of fresh air and let it out slowly. He gingerly sniffed his robes and made a grimace. Some of the stench had stuck to him! He turned and made a dash for the common room.

            The moment Harry reached the Gryffindor common room, he raced toward the trunk in his dormitory and pulled out the bottle of cologne Hermione had given him for Christmas the year before. He had never really used it but now he practically doused himself with the contents. The cologne might be a bit strong but Harry didn't care. Anything to get rid of the smell! As soon as he could smell no more trace of Professor Stalk, he headed back down to the common room and started preparing his lesson.

            Five minutes before ten o' clock, Harry reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He waited until all the fifth years had filed out, some of them giving him curious looks, and others wrinkling their nose when they got too near him. Harry panicked. Did he still smell? But then he realized that he must have gone a bit overboard with the cologne. Cursing himself with his stupidity, Harry went into the now empty classroom.

            Soon, the first years he was supposed to teach entered the classroom. Harry noticed that none of them sat in the first two rows of the desk, obviously staying as far away from Professor Stalk as possible. Harry himself had put ten feet of space between him and the professor. As soon as everyone had sat down, and Professor Stalk had given a nod, Harry began his lesson.

            Fifteen minutes into the class, while Harry was discussing the proper wand movement needed to disarm someone, Professor Stalk walked up to Harry.

            "I need to go to the loo for a moment. You're doing fine!" he whispered to Harry.

            Harry, who had taken a deep breath the moment he spotted the professor walking toward him, merely nodded. The professor left the room and Harry let out the breath he had been holding.

            "Alright, does anyone of you have any questions?" Harry asked the class. He moved closer to the students to see if they had any problems with the spell.

            "I have a question." Said a fat boy from the seat nearest him.

            "Yes?" Harry asked.

            "How come you're wearing so much cologne? It's irritating to the nose." The boy said with a slight sneer. A few of the students snickered.

            Harry was reminded sorely of his cousin Dudley when he was their age.

            "What's your name?" Harry asked.

            "Stuart Peterson." The boy said.

            "Well, Stuart, I'd prefer it if you ask questions related to the subject." Harry said, trying his best to sound polite, even though he was itching to give the kid a good smack on the head.

            "Do you smell as bad as Professor Stalk so you need to mask it out with cologne?" Stuart asked mockingly.

            Harry was starting to get really annoyed with the kid.

            "Lay off him, Stuart." Said a blonde girl in pigtails a few seats back.

            "Oooh, Sally has a crush on Professor Potter." Stuart said in a sing-song voice.

            Sally blushed crimson and stared at her desk. Harry had just about had enough of Stuart Peterson.

            "Look, Stuart, I don't have time to answer your stupid questions. Let's just get back to the lesson and you apologize to Sally." Harry said, clenching his fists.

            "Oooh, do _you_ like Sally?" Stuart said in the same sing-song voice.

            _Calm down_, Harry thought. _You can get through this_.

            "_Harry and Sally sitting in a tree…"_ Stuart started.

            "That's it!" Harry said angrily, pointing his wand at Stuart. Stuart stopped immediately and eyed the wand fearfully.

            It was at that moment that Professor Stalk entered the room again.

            "Mr. Potter!" Professor Stalk said scandalized.

            Harry lowered his wand at once, but he could imagine what the scene looked like to Professor Stalk.

            "Mr. Potter, I am afraid that I will have to deduct some points for this, not only from your house, but from your grade as well." Professor Stalk said hoarsely.

            "But, Professor…!" Harry sputtered, trying to defend himself.

            "Enough, Mr. Potter. You will continue teaching. I will have a word with you after the class." Professor Stalk said.

            Harry took a deep breath and glared at Stuart. The kid stuck out his tongue and smirked. Harry couldn't wait until this whole nightmare was over.

A/N: Up next is Ron's first day!


	3. Draco: Day 1

A/N: I know I said in the last chapter that I was continuing with Ron's story, but I couldn't help writing Draco's first. Enjoy!

Draco: Day 1

            Draco looked around, taking in his surroundings. Everywhere he looked were vast expanses of land with green fields and forests. He had taken a portkey from Hogwarts a few minutes ago, and now here he was, in Romania. There were plenty of people moving around, none of them paying any attention to him. A roar echoed through the place from a distance. He was at the largest and most important dragon reserve in the world, but he was hardly impressed. In fact, he was a bit apprehensive.

            He would never admit it to anyone, but he wasn't very fond of dragons. He knew that they were incredibly magical creatures and all that, but it was common knowledge that they were ferocious. He had no idea why people would actually want to go near them at all.

            "So _you're_ Draco Malfoy." Said a deep voice behind Draco.

            Draco whipped around and found himself facing a very freckly redhead. "Yes." He replied tersely.

            "My brother Ron's told me a lot about you. As you might've guessed, I'm Charlie Weasley." Charlie commented, holding out his hand.

            Draco stared at the outstretched hand and decided to shake it. After all, it would be rude not to. But most of all, Draco wanted to do well on Career Week. It was a big part of his grade, and offending the one doing the grading was not an option.

            "Come on, I'll show you around." Charlie said.

            Draco gave a bored sigh, and followed Charlie.

            Flying was the best way to get around in that place so Draco found himself on a broom a few minutes later. He was a good flier, but the broom he was riding was a joke compared to the Nimbus Two-thousand-and-One he had back at Hogwarts. Feeling incensed at the slowness of his broom, Draco ended up in an even worse mood than he was before. He followed Charlie as the latter flew northeast, toward some trees. 

            Draco got his first look at the dragons he was supposed to "work with" the next moment. Charlie had stopped in midair, and Draco did the same. He looked around, spotting some dragons in the distance. It was too far to tell what kind, but they looked like Romanian Longhorns. He had borrowed a book from the library and spent the weekend reading up on dragons. After all, he didn't want to look like an idiot in front of these dragon handlers.

            "Aren't they beautiful?" Charlie commented wistfully.

            "Positively stunning." Draco said. Charlie didn't seem to catch the sarcasm in Draco's voice because he nodded in agreement. _This man's as bloody thick as his brother!_ Draco thought with exasperation.

            They flew around for half an hour, and in that time, Draco had spotted more Romanian Longhorns, several Welsh Greens, and even one Norwegian Ridgeback, which he strongly suspected was the same dragon he had seen in his first year.

            After Charlie's tour, they went back to the place where Draco first got to Romania by portkey. It was actually where the dragon researches and handlers had set up camp. Draco followed Charlie to a tent.

            "This will be your tent. You have to share it with two others, though. They're not here but I'm sure they'll be along quite soon." Charlie said, opening the flap so Draco could look inside.

            Draco peered intot he tent and wrinkled his nose. In his opinion, the tent wasn't much bigger than a broom cupboard. If he had known what the accommodations were like, he would have brought along his family's five-room luxury tent.

            "Not much you're going to do today, just some shoveling." Charlie said, oddly enough, with a slight grin. He led Draco to the left, past a small forest.

            "Shoveling?! Shoveling what?!" Draco said loudly. He got his answer in a few moments. They had reached a giant paddock that was mostly concealed by the trees. To Draco's horror, it was heaped with dragon dung. He knew what it looked (and smelled) like as it was Professor Sprout's preferred brand of fertilizer, and he had to use it loads of times at Herbology. Not much?! If this was not much work, Draco hated to see a lot.

            "Why can't I use magic?" Draco asked, his eyes widening at what he knew he was supposed to do.

            "Dragon dung is magical stuff." Charlie explained, "Using magic on it will diminish its potency by half. So we have to do it by hand." He pointed to some large wagons beside the huge mound of dung. "Just shovel them into the wagons so that they can be transported as fertilizer." He said, fighting the urge to snigger at Draco's expression. He would be sure to write to Ron about it, might give his brother a laugh.

            "Aren't there people for this job?" Draco asked desperately.

            "We want our new handlers to experience all aspects of the trade." Charlie said, a twinkle in his eye.

            Draco realized that he had no way of getting out of shoveling dung. Grumbling, he stomped toward the paddock and picked up the shovel waiting for him. He shoveled dung until lunchtime. After he was done eating, he resumed his task. Charlie checked up on him every now and then, telling him to take some breaks. Draco wouldn't, though. The sooner he got this done the better. It wasn't usual to see Draco Malfoy working so hard, but the reason for all this was because he didn't want Charlie blabbing to Potty Head and Weasel Boy about him slacking off. He wouldn't give those two the satisfaction of knowing that he gave up. That would show them.

            By late afternoon, Draco had piled all the dung into the wagons. Despite the fact that he was in good shape, his whole body ached from the arduous chore. He collapsed against the side of the paddock, completely drained. Suddenly, he heard hoots and catcalls around him. He opened his eyes blearily and looked around. All the dragon handlers were there, including Charlie, applauding.

            "Here," Charlie said cheerfully, striding over and helping Draco up. "I hope you didn't mind our little joke. It's a prank we play on all the new handlers, sort of an initiation. I made up the thing about the dragon dung."

            Anger and resentment flared inside Draco. He had been duped! Unfortunately, he was so tired that all he managed to do was glare menacingly at Charlie. There would be time for payback later…

A/N: So, how was it? Did you like it? Review! Hermione's next…


	4. Hermione: Day 1

Hermione: Day 1

            St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was bustling with activity. Hermione had to be careful where she walked to avoid bumping into haggard-looking healers and irritable witches and wizards in need of the hospital's services.

            She wondered where Healer Pye was. She had asked the Welcome Witch and the woman had told her to wait for the healer in the crowded reception area. That was twenty minutes ago, and Hermione was starting to get annoyed at Healer Pye's lateness.

            She picked up a copy of _Witch Weekly_ that was about three years out of date and scanned through the pages, not really taking in a word of it.

            A pleasant voice suddenly spoke in front of her. "I'm sorry for being so late, Ms. Granger. I was busy tending to a patient. I'm Healer Augustus Pye."

            Hermione put down the magazine and started to say that it really wasn't a problem when her voice stuck to her throat. Standing in front of her was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Healer Pye was tall, with short brown hair, and had the most beautiful sea-green eyes Hermione had ever glimpsed.

            "I… I… err…" Hermione stammered, going red in the face.

            Healer Pye flashed her a dazzling smile. "Well, let's not waste anymore time, shall we? Please come with me." He said.

            Hermione followed him, feeling stupid. "It—it's nice meeting you, Healer Pye." She finally managed.

            "Please, call me Augustus, or August like my friends do. But only when we're not around any of my superiors." Healer Pye said with a smile. "I'd prefer we work in a light atmosphere and calling me 'Healer Pye' all the time makes everything seem so stuffy."

            "Right… August. So where am I supposed to work?" Hermione asked, her usual composure returning.

            "Well, mostly you'll be working in the first floor, tending to people with bites, stings, that sort of stuff. Is that all right?" August asked.

            "Well, er—I was hoping to work at Spell Damage." Hermione said timidly.

            "Ahh… I suppose it isn't too late to change mentors…" August said thoughtfully.

            "What do you mean?" Hermione asked alarmed.

            "If you want to work at Spell Damage, you'll have to get a different healer as a mentor. I only work in the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor."

            "In that case, it's all very fine. I'd love working at the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor." Hermione said quickly.

August beamed at her as they continued walking. Hermione beamed back.

They climbed some stairs and reached the entrance of the Creature-Induced Injuries corridor. Hermione, not looking where she was going, nearly crashed into a trolley carrying different potions.

"Do watch where you're going!" cried the man pushing it.

"Sorry." Hermione muttered, feeling embarrassed. She hadn't realized that she had been gaping at Healer Pye the whole time.

 _Stop looking at him, Hermione! _Her brain commanded. _Stop gaping at him as though he's the incarnation of Adonis, with a perfect smile and eyes that any girl would gladly drown in, and… oh damn! Just stop thinking about him!_

Hermione wrenched her eyes away and looked around. August had led her to the second door on the right. She suddenly realized that they were in the same ward that Mr. Weasley was in two years ago. Only a few beds were occupied, one of which August was now striding towards.

A young woman was sitting up on her bed, her back propped up by pillows. She looked up from the book she was reading when Hermione and August approached.

"Good morning, Elizabeth. How are you feeling?" August asked cheerfully.

"I'm fine, thanks." Elizabeth replied in a hollow sort of voice.

"This is Hermione Granger. She's going to be my junior trainee for the week." August said, gesturing toward Hermione.

Hermione gave the woman a smile and a cheery "Hi!"

However, Elizabeth merely ignored Hermione and buried her nose in her book again.

Hermione's smile faltered and she looked at August for an explanation. He beckoned her to a corner.

"You'll have to forgive her for being so… negative. She got bitten really badly by an occamy yesterday and she's still rather distressed about it." August whispered.

"Is she going to be alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, of course. But occamy bites take time to heal and are very painful. I hope that you'll do your best to make her feel comfortable." August said seriously.

Hermione nodded; she wasn't going to let August down.

August smiled. "Now I'm going to teach you how to change a bandage." He said. They went back to Elizabeth's bedside.

"I'll be changing your bandages now, Elizabeth." August said, and lifted the blanket covering her feet.

Elizabeth looked away from her heavily bandaged leg and stared at the bedside table instead.

August gently removed the bandage covering her bite wounds. Hermione's eyes widened and she couldn't hold back a gasp when the wounds were revealed. There were several bites on Elizabeth's leg, all of them very deep. It wasn't a sight for the faint of heart.

Even August's face was grim as he changed her bandages carefully. Elizabeth grimaced in pain, but she didn't make a sound.

Hermione was now feeling a bit queasy after that horrible sight. Her face had paled and there was a slight greenish tinge on it. Without another word, she rushed to the sink at the corner of the room and retched, ignoring the surprised look on August's face and the scowl on Elizabeth's.

A/N:  I'd like to acknowledge all those who reviewed my story so far…

Princess-Perfect: Thanks for the review, however, I feel that it would be so much more interesting for Professor Stalk to teach Harry instead of Lupin.

CountessMel: Thanks for taking time to review my story… twice! I really appreciate it!

Ellsie: Thanks for reviewing! Please forgive me if I can't update right away, school is my first priority.

General K-Star: You're cool too!

Nightwing 509: You'll be able to find out what happens to Ron very soon. I'm glad you enjoyed my story, and thanks for the review!

drxd: I try my best to make the characters sound like they do in the books, so thanks! I like Professor Stalk too, even if he is gross.

Ia: I'm glad you think so! Thanks for reviewing!

dracoluvver16: I won't disappoint you. And I agree!

MissCorker: Heh heh, Draco shoveling dung is one of my favorite scenes as well. I think Harry'd make a DADA teacher, too. Thanks for the review!

Enclume volatile: You'll be seeing more of Stuart on Harry's second day. I'm glad that you find my fic original and thanks for reviewing my story!

I will upload Ron's first day A.S.A.P. so stay tuned! Please review!


	5. Ron: Day 1

A/N: I finally finished writing about Ron's first day. Hope you like it!

Ron: Day 1

            Ron stared at the front of Honeydukes, through the window that displayed succulent sweets and tasty confections. It was early Monday morning, and the shop was still closed. Ron rapped at the door hard.

            "Just a moment… just a moment!" cried a voice.

            The door opened and a plump woman with a bright smile peered out at Ron. Ron recognized her as the lady who was usually behind the counter. 

            "Ahhh… you must be Ronald Weasley! Well, come in, come in!" the woman said brightly, opening the door wide.

            Ron stepped in and looked around. Honeydukes looked a lot bigger without the usual crowd of people inside.

            "My name is Portia Duke. My husband, Albert, and I own the shop. There he is!" Portia said, pointing to a fat, balding man in the corner shifting boxes. Albert waved in response.

            Ron was feeling happier by the second. The people he was going to work for seemed to be extremely nice.

            "Let me show you where you will be working most of the time." Portia said warmly, leading Ron to a door behind the counter.

            Ron followed Portia into the cellar, and through another door.

            "This, is the Honeydukes candy factory!" Portia said beaming.

            Ron's jaw dropped. He could practically hear the Hallelujah chorus being sung in his ear. There were vats of warm chocolate in the center of the room, giving off a divine aroma. Ovens were baking what Ron realized must be the famous Honeydukes fudge. Sweets were everywhere, mountains of them, in boxes and mixing cauldrons. Ron was in heaven!

            There were several people there as well, managing the operations and making sweets.

            "We don't open shop until 9, but you can help Albert with the candy displays!" Portia said.

            Peeling his eyes away from the paradise in front of him (which took some effort), Ron nodded and went upstairs to help.

            It was now 10 o'clock and Honeydukes was buzzing with activity. Portia was at the counter ringing up purchases and Ron was now helping Albert move boxes of candy from the factory and into the cellar.

            Suddenly, a crash came from the store above. People were yelling and there were several thumps.

            "What the…" Albert said, putting down his box and running up the stairs, Ron following behind.

            Someone had knocked over a huge barrel full of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans and they were rolling everywhere. Several people had tripped and Portia was trying to help them up. The man who had knocked over the barrel kept apologizing profusely and tried to scoop handfuls of Every-Flavor Beans back into their container.

            Albert sighed. "You go back down and finish moving those boxes. I'll clean up this mess." He told Ron, then grabbed a broom.

            "Are you sure? I can help…" Ron offered.

            "I can handle it." Albert said.    

Ron shrugged and went back down the stairs, his hands in his pockets. Suddenly, he felt himself pitching forward; he had missed the last step! Instinctively, he threw out his arms to break his fall. He landed hard on a pile of boxes, his right hand going through one of them.

            "Oof!" he cried, then an "Ow!" He quickly pulled his right hand out of the box and stared at it. What looked like several thin blue needles were sticking out of his palm. Ron immediately pulled them out, then, oddly enough, he giggled. He suddenly felt extremely giddy and excited. He got up, staggering a bit then suddenly realized that he was floating! On normal circumstances, he would have started panicking, but somehow he was feeling light-headed, and happy.

            "Ronald!" cried a panicked voice from down below. Ron looked down, a silly smile on his face and waved at Albert. His head bumped the ceiling and he giggled again.

            "Oh dear." Albert muttered, looking around. He then spotted the box with a hole through the top.

            "Don't worry, Ronald! You're just experiencing the effects of billywig stings! We'll get an antidote from St. Mungo's and you can get down in a jiffy!" and with those words, Albert bustled off to a fireplace.

            Ron merely continued giggling. At the back of his head though, he vaguely processed what Albert had said. Billywig stings? Of yeah, they use the stings to make Fizzing Whizbees, he remembered, having read about it once in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

            "Bad news, Ronald." Albert said, coming back a few moments later, his face a little sooty from the fireplace. "The antidote has to made fresh so there won't be one available until tomorrow morning."

            Just then, Portia came hurrying downstairs and gasped when she spotted Ron.

            "Oh my!" she cried, clapping a hand to her mouth. "What happened?" She turned to her husband, looking worried.

"Nothing to worry about, dearest. Ronald merely pricked himself with the billywig stings." Albert said calmly.

"But shouldn't the effects be wearing off by now?" Portia asked, gazing up at Ron.

            Albert gestured at the punched-through box. "I believe he got more than one sting. He's going to be floating there for a while."

            Husband and wife looked back up at Ron, who was now tracing pictures of bunny rabbits into the dusty ceiling, looking like he was having the time of his life.

            Around midday, the giddiness started wearing off. However, he was still floating and occasionally hit the ceiling, which he found to be very annoying after a while. He started getting worried. How long was he going to stay airborne?

At lunch time, Portia had levitated a tray of sandwiches and a flask of pumpkin juice up to him. Ron, always hungry, had gobbled it all up.

            It was now about 3 in the afternoon and Ron was feeling extremely uncomfortable. He needed to use a toilet _really_ badly. While he was wondering how to accomplish this, Albert appeared carrying a tray of cookies.  

            "I thought you could use a snack." Albert said, levitating the tray for Ron.

            "Er… Albert?" Ron said nervously.

            "Yes, Ronald?" Albert asked kindly, looking up at him pointedly.

            "I… er… ah…" Ron said, his face turning red.

            "Is there something you need?" Albert asked.

            "Er… yes. I… I need to… er… use the toilet." Ron finished in a whisper.

            "What was that?" Albert called out.

            "I need to use the toilet." Ron said, a little bit louder.

            "I can't hear you!" Albert said.

            Ron was starting to get exasperated. "I said I need to use the toilet!" he said loudly.

            Unfortunately, Ron chose to say this at the exact same time the factory workers were coming up for their break. They all gave Ron an odd look. Some were looking bemused and others were trying hard not to laugh.

            Ron turned red all the way up to his ears.

            "Oh! Why didn't you say so?" Albert said. He scratched his head. "Well, I don't know… can you… er… aim properly in your… condition?" he coughed.

            Ron had never felt so embarrassed in his life. Well, maybe not. His most embarrassing moment had to be the time he accidentally put a slug-belching hex on himself in front of Malfoy, but that wasn't the point. He should've just taken some of his brothers' Skiving Snackboxes and stayed at Hogwarts with Harry.

            "I have it!" Albert said, interrupting Ron's thoughts. He walked away and returned with a bucket. Ron stared at it, realizing what Albert wanted him to do. He gulped and went even redder.

            "Just use a Vanishing Spell after you're done!" Albert said cheerfully as he levitated the bucket.

            Ron quickly grabbed it and waited until Albert was out of the room. This really wasn't his day.

A/N:  Thanks to ImaginaryFriendless, CountessMel, and of course, my friends blue3ski and JCluvxiezhi for your wonderful reviews! I love you guys!

A/N 2: Do you guys want a hint of Harry/Ginny romance? If you do, please tell me so I can add it into the story line.


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